Has anyone else received a DVD in the mail from the National Sewing Circle? Mine came yeaterday with a letter explaining how much valuable information is on the DVD. It is supposedly a risk free trial and as a bonus there are three sewing projects included on the disc. All I have to do is put the DVD into my computer. (NOT!) I was given several options: I can check a box to keep it and pay $12.99 or I can return it, but am instructed to please take the DVD out of the plastic case and use the return envelope--to keep their postage costs down. It also says since I did not request this DVD I can just keep it and not do anything.

How bizarre is this?? And, how did they get my address? Sew Beautiful is the only sewing magazine I get--does F & W Media sell our subscription information?

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KarenVA

"We cannot do great things, we can only do little things with great love." Mother Teresa

This company was only trademarked in May of this year. TN Marketing of Wayzata, MN is the owner. The trademark was filed by Samuels & Hiebert of Boston. The company description is something about videos of information and sewing skills. I hope I don't get one. This was the ONLY information I could find on the internet. Doesn't sound very legit to me.

Right--I found that info when I GOOGLED, too. I have Norton Internet Security on my computer--but some of those pesky viruses seem to sneak on anyway. I'm not that desperate for patterns and ideas--I have way too many projects started and on my list to last till I'm 200, at least!!!! LOL

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KarenVA

"We cannot do great things, we can only do little things with great love." Mother Teresa

I got it, too, yesterday. I thought about the virus and returned it. I didn't want to be bombarded by mail to pay and sign-up. Not that returning it will stop that. I also requested to be taken off of their list. With a big company it may have been sold many times already.

We had a thread on here a while back about Sew News sending out unsolicited DVDs with the exact same instructions you got. I emailed them and told them that I was about to cancel my subscription because of this shoddy way of doing businesd. They told me to keep the DVD as a 'gift' and they'd take me off their mailing list. You are not obligated to return the DVD since it's unsolicited. In the discussion about the Sew News DVD one of the members here posted the postal regulation that tells you what they did isn't legal and you don't have to respond. Janet

I received the one from Sew News and called the company. I told the representative since the DVD was sent without my knowledge or consent that I'd be happy to keep it for a small monthly storage fee. She immediately apologized, said she would take me off their mailing list and to please keeps the DVD with their compliments. I'd keep any nonsolicited DVDs that are of interest to me.

We've had PCMatic for several months with no viruses getting through. When we had Norton and then McAfee neither caught all the viruses that some times infected our computers..

I got this DVD recently. I only skimmed the letter and tossed it. I also popped the DVD in my computer. As a tech, I don't think anyone is buying or sharing the mailing list of Martha Pullen to send viruses out :). I scanned it and it was virus free and has some nice tutorials on it. If I didn't request it they can't charge me anything or force me to buy or send back.

There was some info on this on I think Pattern Review a while back and many did research. It was a company owned by a man not associated with the sewing industry and supposedly the DVDs were just by home grown home sewn Joe and really not that good. The National Sewing Circle really is just a front for this business. Trust me, its' not SAGA or ASG. There s one lovely seamstress who at one time started a group by this name but it has nothing to do with this business or DVD. Do some googling. It's all out there. I wouldn't pay for this at all.

I received a DVD from Love of Quilting one time with the same type of message. I chose the "don't pay if you didn't ask for it" option, although they sent a couple of requests for return or payment. I wonder if they get enough people to pay to make it worthwhile to send them out.